His Next Trick

He hasn’t taken his eyes off me the whole time.

“I thought you meant the stars,” I whisper, his hand lifts mine to his lips and kisses my fingers one by one.

“You’re more beautiful than all of them put together,” he rumbles in his familiar deep voice.

“You’re just saying that,” I blush. Secretly I want him to tell me over and over again that I’m beautiful so I can stop believing the terrible things I tell myself about how I look.

How I should be.

“You’re perfect, and I think I love you, Penelope Briggs,” he says, point-blank, making my breath catch.

My whole body freezes for a moment.

“Wait. You think you love me?” I ask, sitting up and pretending to be annoyed, but it’s only to stop myself from actually crying right now.

I jump a little when his huge hand warms my back.

“C’mere,” he murmurs, saying it again. Not thinking this time, knowing.

“I love you, Penelope,” he says again, and with the stars spinning above us he kisses me and rolls on top of me again.

The endless dance of life, the night, and the whole solar system swirl around us as both fill our roles in it once again.

I come a second time straight after my first time, feeling as though we never even stopped.

“I… I love you too, Jett,” I gasp, feeling him relax a little now that I’ve said it as he holds me tighter, more tenderly than before.

The words only give more meaning to what we’re doing.

Who we are now.

Two becoming one, again.

We lay awake for most of the night, his huge arms and his warm body my blanket.

The only thing I’ll ever need in this life from now on.

He feeds me from our supply of canned and dried camp food, as we sip mineral water from glass bottles.

But it’s Jett who nourishes me.

It’s my man who’s sustaining me. And without having to say more than those three little words, I know he feels exactly the same way.

Sounds and movement from the dark woods around us, things that would normally scare me to death seem normal.

With Jett holding me close, stroking my hair, or just tracing a finger over my curves, it feels like nothing could touch us except one another.

“You know a good lawyer?” he asks suddenly, stifling a yawn as the dark night gives way to a gray dawn.

The coals of our fire still glow red hot but are clouded with ashes, gray like the morning sky.

It’s totally out of context, but I could talk about anything with Jett.

And even though I don’t know one personally, I know someone who knows someone who might.

Not even bothering to ask why he’d need to know.

Now of all times and places.

Jett gives me a ‘what the hell?’ look when I try to tell him, but I condense my original reply.

“Sure, I could find a good lawyer,” I say with confidence.

Not even bothering to ask why he’d need to know.

Now of all times and places.

I hope I still have a job with Karlee at the paper to ask her if she could pass on the message to Sebastian Hawke.

If he doesn’t have the best lawyer then I don’t know who would.

The sensation of Jett getting up from our blanket just as suddenly as his question makes me sit up.

Already missing his touch, but also unable to keep my eyes off his perfect body. His perfect ass flexes in time with his legs as he trots down to the river’s edge.

“What the?” I ask, but my body is already pulling me up to follow.

“Bath time!” Jett calls out, plunging headfirst into the river, his howling shriek once he resurfaces lets me know it’s a tad cold.

I’d walk on hot coals for my man, but would I plunge into icy waters just to be closer to him as well?

The sound of my own screams mixed with his laughter tells me, yes, long before I feel his massive arms around my waist.

Pulling me close as we both skinny dip at dawn.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jett

“And you’re sure my three friends haven’t checked out?” I ask the manager of the hotel once we get back. The shaking of his head should make me rest a little easier.

Good, they’re all still in the building, bad because there’s no way any of the crew would have stayed so long past the show date.

A quick check confirms that everyone else has checked out, except Miles. With my lawyer and the CEO of the prison company confirmed as guests.

I could’ve stayed with Penelope out in the woods forever, but it might mean having nothing left to raise a family with if I don’t deal with my slime ball agent and lawyer quickly.

Money can be made again, sure. But I’d rather not lose another dime or everything I’ve worked for by sitting on my hands.